Nature Boy 30 for 30 doc premiere scores big in ratings

November 11, 2017

This past Tuesday’s ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on professional wrestler “Nature Boy” Ric Flair drew 1.831 million viewers. It was the highest-rated cable program on Tuesday.

The documentary, directed by Rory Karpf, looked at the life and times of Ric Flair including the good and bad of the character and person. The documentary was heavily publicized and Flair did promotion for the documentary across ESPN platforms.

According to ShowBuzz Daily, it was the most-watch cable program on Tuesday for the 18-49 demo with 1.41 million viewers. For those wondering, WWE Smackdown on the USA Network drew 1.820 million viewers.

Payout Perspective:

I would say nostalgia is one of the reasons why this documentary did so well in the ratings. Of course, being the most-watched in the 18-49 demo says a lot about the cultural relevance of the Nature Boy character. The documentary was well-done and offered something from the casual pro wrestling fan to the ones that watched Flair in the 1980s as a youth.